NFS Form 10-900 OMBNo. 10024-0018 (January 1992) Word Processing Format (Approved 1/92)

United States Department of Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Registration Form

This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in/few to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (National Register Bulletin 16A). Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering the information requested. If an item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional entries and narrative items on continuation sheets (NFS Form 10-900A). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items.

1. Name of Property______

historic name "Hetty Taylof' Shipwreck______other names/site number N/A

2. Location

street & number 7 miles southeast of Sheboygan River, N/A not for publication city or town Sheboygan X vicinity state Wisconsin code WI county Sheboygan______code 117 zip code 53081

3. State/Federal Agency Certification

As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that thisX nomination request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property X meets _ does not meet the National Register criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant, nationally X statewide locally. (_ See continuation she>e£4or additional comments.)

Signature of certifying official/Title 'berfe

State or Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property. meets _ does not meet the National Register criteria. (_ See continuation sheet for additional comments.)

Signature of commenting official/Title Date

State or Federal agency and bureau 'Hetty Taylor" Shipwreck Wisconsin Name of Property™ County and State

4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that the property is: tered in the National Register. __ See continuation sheet. _ determined eligible for the National Register. __ See continuation sheet. _ determined not eligible for the National Register. __ See continuation sheet. _ removed from the National Register. _ other, (explain:)

Date of Action

5. Classification Ownership of Property Category of Property Number of Resources within Property (check as many boxes as (Check only one box) (Do not include previously listed resources as apply) in the count) private building(s) contributing noncontributing public-local district buildings X public-State structure 1 sites public-Federal X site structures object objects 1 0 total

Name of related multiple property listing: Number of contributing resources (Enter "N/A" if property not part of a multiple property is previously listed in the National Register listing.) Shipwrecks of Wisconsin______0

6. Function or Use

Historic Functions Current Functions Transportation/water-related Vacant/not in use

7. Description

Architectural Classification Materials N/A (Enter categories from instructions) Foundation N/A walls

roof other

Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) "Hetty Taylof' Shipwreck Sheboygan County Wisconsin Name of Property County and State

8. Statement of Significance

Applicable National Register Criteria Areas of Significance (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria (Enter categories from instructions) qualifying the property for the National Register listing.) Archaeology/Historic-non-aborginal Maritime History _A Properly is associated with events that have Engineering made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.

_ B Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. Period of Significance X C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction 1874-1880 or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction.

X D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, Significant Dates information important in prehistory or history. 1874 Criteria Considerations (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.)

Property is: Significant Person (Complete if Criterion B is marked) _ A owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes. N/A

_ B removed from its original location.

_ C a birthplace or grave. Cultural Affiliation

_ D a cemetery. Euro-American

_ E a reconstructed building, object, or structure.

_ F a commemorative property. Architect/Builder

_ G less than 50 years of age or achieved Penny, Ethel C. significance within the past 50 years.

Narrative Statement of Significance (Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) "Hetty Taylof Shipwreck Sheboygan County Wisconsin Name of Property County and State

9. Major Bibliographic References

(Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.)

Previous Documentation on File (National Park Service): Primary location of additional data: preliminary determination of individual X State Historic Preservation Office listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested Other State Agency previously listed in the National Federal Agency Register Local government previously determined eligible by University the National Register Other designated a National Historic Name of repository: landmark recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey # recorded by Historic American Engineering Record #

10. Geographical Data

Acreage of Property Less than one acre

UTM References (Place additional UTM references on a continuation sheet.)

1 16 0447219 4836707 Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting Northing

Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting Northing I I See Continuation Sheet

Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet)

Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet)

11. Form Prepared By

name/title Keith Meverden, John Jensen organization Wisconsin Historical Society date 12/1/04 street & number 816 State Street telephone 608.221.5909 city or town Madison state WI zip code 53706 "Hetty Taylor" Shipwreck______Sheboygan County______wisconsin Name of Property County and State

Additional Documentation______.______Submit the following items with the completed form:

Continuation Sheets

Maps A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. A sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources.

Photographs Representative black and white photographs of the property.

Additional Items (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items)

Property Owner Complete this item at the request of SHPO or FPO.)

name/title Bureau of Property Management organization Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources date 12/1/04 street&number 101 Webster Street telephone 608.267.2764 city or town____Madison______state WI______zip code 53703______

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.X

Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Projects, (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503. Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8-86)

Wisconsin Word Processing Format (Approved 1/92)

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet "Hetty Taylor" Shipwreck Section 7 Page _j______Sheboygan County, Wisconsin______

Summary Paragraph Five miles off shore of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 105 feet of water lays the wreck of the schooner Hetty Taylor. Built in , Wisconsin in 1874, the wreck of the trim little two-masted vessel offers divers a breath-taking trip back to the age of sail in the Dairy State. Capsized and sunk in 1880, Lake Michigan's relatively deep cold waters have kept the schooner nearly intact. For archeologists and historians the Hetty Taylor represents the rare example of once common class of Great Lakes commercial craft, the small coastal schooner. Such vessels, measuring from thirty to about one hundred tons, provided economic and cultural links between the isolated communities of northern Lake Michigan's maritime hinterland and thriving metropolises of southern Lake Michigan. Throughout the second half of the nineteenth century, these small schooners occupied a special niche in the Great Lakes maritime economy.

Description Trained archaeological wreck divers Robert and Charles Thorn are the principle parties responsible for documenting and monitoring the site of the Hetty Taylor. The Thorns' work took place over the course of several summers during the mid-1990s and resulted in the development of a high-quality, plan-view image of the wreck. The Wisconsin Historical Society's State Underwater Archaeology program supplemented the Thorn's archaeological and historical investigation with additional dives on the site and through a thorough investigation of the schooner's construction, operational history, loss, and subsequent salvage efforts.

The vessel rests upright on the bottom in approximately 105 feet of water. The wreck is embedded in sand, which has also intruded into many areas of the vessel. Diver reports indicate that amount of the site covered by sand varies from year to year. Overall, the vessel exhibits excellent preservation. The bow, most of the fore deck, and the entire port side are intact. The starboard side is splayed open and constitutes part of a larger debris field that includes the top of the deckhouse, afterdeck, and a variety of timbers. A single mast, dislodged by contemporary salvage efforts, lays adjacent to the debris field.

The bow provides evidence of the schooner's fine original appearance and testifies to the quality of her construction. An intact, elegantly engineered bowsprit 16 inches in diameter extends out approximately 12 feet beyond the bow stem. It carries a section of a 9-inch diameter jib boom, which is broken off just beyond the 3- inch wide iron bowsprit cap.

The deck planking remains in place in the forward half of the vessel, interrupted only by the forward cargo hatch. The hatch's exterior measurements are 8 feet athwart ships and 8 feet 9 inches fore and aft. The hatch combing is capped by a 3 1/4 inch wide metal strap. Also discernable on the deck is the opening and structural support for a now missing 21-inch in diameter foremast. The deck planking on the after half of the vessel has torn loose leaving interior spaces exposed. Sand covers many of the stern's architectural features.

The centerboard trunk, a critical feature of virtually all postbellum Great Lakes schooners, rests intact upon the keelson. The trunk is a watertight passageway that consists of 10 tightly joined planks approximately 10 inches wide and 4 inches thick. The trunk's overall dimensions are 20 feet 2 inches in length, 12 to 14 inches in width, and 6 feet 6 inches in depth.

The afterdeck planking, six deck beams, and a small deckhouse has pulled away from the main structure and rests a few feet off the vessel's starboard quarter. The overall feature is about 17 feed wide and 10 feet fore and Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8-86)

Wisconsin Word Processing Format (Approved 1/92)

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet "Hetty Taylor" Shipwreck Section 7 Page _2______Sheboygan County, Wisconsin______aft. The small deckhouse displays excellent workmanship with all corners nicely joined. The deckhouse measures roughly 5 feet 2 inches in length and 2 7z feet in height. Long widows on each side of the house provided light to those bellow. A small hatch about 16 inches wide and 22 inches high provided physical access.

The stern exhibits some modern damage, the result of an illegal salvage effort by sports divers. Using lift bags, they lifted part of the transom and removed decorative metal stars. The rudder and rudder post, capped by toothed steering gear, protrudes through the stern. The wooden metal-banded rudder is embedded about 2 feet into the lake bottom. Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8-86)

Wisconsin Word Processing Format (Approved 1/92)

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet "Hetty Taylor" Shipwreck Section 8 Page 1 Sheboygan County, Wisconsin

Narrative Statement of Significance Hetty Taylor is a highly intact representative of a once numerous and important class of Great Lakes vessel: the small coastal schooner. The Hetty Taylor is considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria C and D at the state level.

Under Criterion C, the vessel is significant on two accounts. The schooner embodies the distinctive characteristics of a Great Lakes centerboard schooner, the most numerous type of vessel to ply the region's waters during the nineteenth century. Furthermore, her fine workmanship reflects the work of New York-born shipwright Ethel C. Penny and Alien, McClelland and Company, an important Milwaukee shipbuilding firm formed by shipwrights from Scotland, Germany, Canada, Norway, and the United States. Collectively these shipwrights represent some Milwaukee's most experienced builders of wooden ships and illustrate the migration of Euro- American maritime culture and technology into the . (Anderson 1978: 90-92). The yard's high standards are still evident in the fine finish work observed on the wreckage of Hetty Taylor.

Under Criterion D, the vessel has already yielded information important in the history of maritime Wisconsin. Through the work of Robert and Charles Thorn, the archaeological and historical investigation of the wreck has revealed a quality of artisanship not traditionally associated with small schooners. The product of a skilled team of shipbuilders, the Hetty Taylor is not the vernacular-type craft more commonly associated with the coastal schooner trade in Wisconsin. The original expense of the vessel and its constant employment between 1874 and 1880, one of the most economically challenging times in Great Lakes commercial history, raise important questions about maritime business strategies and the role of schooners as a conduit between hinterland outpost and urban market. With architectural elements embedded in the lake bottom and covered by sand and ship structure, there is no doubt that wreck of the Hetty Taylor is likely to yield additional information important in Great Lakes history.

The Hetty Taylor Is significant at the state level. Although common in Wisconsin history, intact small schooners from her period are an archeological rarity. The Wisconsin Shipwreck Inventory lists the wrecks of thirty-six schooners of less than 100 tons burden built after 1860. (Small schooners built before that date occupied, at least originally, different economic niches). This number seems small given the large number of these craft operating in Wisconsin during the final third of the nineteenth century. It is likely that many of these small craft ended their careers quietly, decaying in small town harbors or creeks and leaving little or no historical evidence of their demise. Of the schooners in the Wisconsin Shipwreck database, only the locations of Hetty Taylor and the 17-ton Emmanuel, abandoned off Fish Creek in Door County around the turn of the century, are known.

The Hetty Taylor's high degree of structural integrity reflects the nature of the wreck event-a relatively gentle foundering-and the site's 105 foot depth of water. Only six other schooners of this class were lost in comparable wreck events and have the promise retaining significant structural integrity. Stranding claimed 18 other small schooners. Given their size and light construction, these craft tend to quickly break up in shallow water, high-energy environments. Most exist now as scattered or buried sites. The Hetty Taylor is perhaps the best preserved small schooner built for the Lake Michigan coastal trade yet discovered in Wisconsin. Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8-86)

Wisconsin Word Processing Format (Approved 1/92)

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet "Hetty Taylor" Shipwreck Section 8 Page 2 Sheboygan County, Wisconsin

Vessel History Responding to expanding economic opportunities and the enlargement of canals and harbors, Great Lakes ships and shipbuilding practices changed greatly during the early 1870's. Larger vessels, many in excess of 200 feet in length, became more common. Building such craft required larger shipyards and access to extensive capital. They were out of the reach of most smaller-scale maritime entrepreneurs.

Before the development of automobiles and the building of good roads, small sailing vessels retained an important place for lake communities around Wisconsin. At Green Bay, Two Creeks, Manitowoc, and in a host of other Wisconsin places, builders launched many small schooners. These filled a void the state's transportation system. Requiring more skill than capital, small schooners provided an attractive investment for small businessmen and mariners alike. On June 8, 1874, the Milwaukee Sentinel noted the launching of another of these vessels:

The new schooner built at the junction of the Milwaukee and Menomonee Rivers for Capt. James White and Henry Taylor, was successfully launched shortly before 6 o'clock Saturday evening. She is named the Hetty Taylor, is a vessel of 75 feet keel, and is intended for trading purposes. (Milwaukee Sentinel 8 June 1874)

The schooner's first enrollment lists Henry Taylor as owning three-quarters of the vessel, with the other quarter belonging to Fred Benfield. Both men resided in Milwaukee (Milwaukee Permanent Enrolment no. 4, issued 16 July 1874). Taylor appears to have been a grocer, and Frederick Benfield clearly a sailor (Milwaukee City Directory 1875-76). The pooling of mercantile and nautical skills was probably common in these smaller maritime ventures. Although not the case with the Hetty Taylor, the shipbuilder too often helped finance a new vessel by becoming a partial owner.

Unlike many smaller schooners of the period, the Hetty Taylor came out of a larger well- established shipyard. The builders of the Hetty Taylor, the Alien McClelland and Company (known after an 1874 reorganization as the "Milwaukee Shipyard Company"), had an unusual history. A shipbuilding cooperative formed in response to union-busting actions of Milwaukee's five major shipbuilders during the winter of 1861-62, the firm was largely an immigrant concern with shipwrights from Scotland, Germany, Canada, and several from Norway. The Hetty Taylor's master carpenter, Ethel C. Penney, one of the yard's original partners and a shipwright from upstate New York, was the only "Yankee" in the organization (Anderson 1978: 90-92). The wreck itself evidences quality workmanship. The inclusion of a dolphin figurehead, a relatively rare addition on this class of schooner, suggests of a high level of finish work. In life, as well as in wreck, the Hetty Taylor was aesthetically a "finer" ship than many of the often crudely built small vessels that plied Lake Michigan's coast. Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8-86)

Wisconsin Word Processing Format (Approved 1/92)

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet "Hetty Taylor" Shipwreck Section 8 Page 3 Sheboygan County, Wisconsin

The ship's original enrolment reports the following particulars:

Length: 84.1 feet Breadth: 22.6 feet Depth: 8.1 feet Total tonnage: 84.44 Capacity under tonnage deck: 2.83 Capacity of inclosures on upper deck: 2.83 Official Number: 95356 One deck, two masts, a square stern, and a dolphin figurehead. (Milwaukee Permanent Enrolment no. 4, issued 16 July 1874)

The operational careers of nineteenth-century commercial sailing craft can be difficult to trace. The Hetty Taylor, a small coastal schooner of no great contemporary fame, offered a particular challenge. Scattered customs house records for Milwaukee, the schooner's homeport, used in conjunction with newspaper marine columns, however, allows for a significant reconstruction of the Hetty Taylofs career and evaluation of her place within the Lake Michigan maritime economy.

On August 3, 1874, the Milwaukee Custom's House noted the arrival from Muskegon, Michigan of the Hetty Taylor. Under the command of Capt. Benfield, the ship had a total crew of five, and delivered 90 thousand board feet of lumber (hereafter noted as 90m lumber). Carrying lumber, or more properly, wood products, became the ship's primary activity. During her first season, it may have been her only activity. Between August 3 and September 5, 1874, Hetty Taylor delivered two loads of lumber and three of cordwood into Milwaukee. Four of these trips were from Muskegon, Michigan and one from Eagle Harbor, Wisconsin, a lumbering station on the east side of Green Bay. The ship apparently sailed empty or "light" from Milwaukee on each trip.

Glimpses of the ship's second season begin with a June 7 arrival in Milwaukee with 80 cords of wood from the small Door county community of Egg Harbor. Captain Benfield remained in command. The ship traded little in Milwaukee during the summer of 1875, perhaps the Chicago markets were stronger or other opportunities offered more profit potential. On July 20, Capt. Benfield returned to Milwaukee and landed 77 cords of Egg Harbor wood.

On September 1, Hetty Taylor again called at Milwaukee. This time, however, under a new commander, Capt. Classon (or Claasen). This delivery was also 77 cords of wood, this time from Green Bay. Between September 1 and November 15,1875, the ship made seven landings at Milwaukee; all the cargoes were either lumber or cordwood. Two loads came from Green Bay, one from Kewaunee, and four from Muskegon, Michigan. Significantly, under Capt. Classon's command, the schooner often sailed with a total crew of four rather than her traditional compliment of five men. By November, however, he added an additional crewmember. The schooner, it seems, operated most safely with five on board.

Hetty Taylor's third season reveals some slight changes in her trading pattern, and the addition of a different captain, Nels P. Miller. Capt. Miller became the schooner's longest serving master, commanding her from the spring of 1876 through the end of the 1878 season. Under Miller, the schooner began trading extensively with northern Door County communities, most prominently Sister Bay, where the ship picked up at least 28 loads of wood products between May 1,1876 and November 25, 1878. During much of this period, the vessel carried a Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8-86)

Wisconsin Word Processing Format (Approved 1/92)

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet "Hetty Taylor" Shipwreck Section 8 Page 4 Sheboygan County, Wisconsin variety of commodities back to Green Bay and Door County ports. For example, on November 15, 1876, the ship left Milwaukee for Green Bay with 22 barrels of whiskey, 45 barrels of pork, 15 barrels of beef, 150 bushels of feed, and 22 packages of "merchandise." This seems to have been an unusually large return load for the ship. More frequently, the northbound cargoes included one or two barrels of meat products, a few tons (or less) of feed, grains, sundries, and the ubiquitous packages of merchandise. On the two non-Door County trips for 1877. the ship ran light out of Milwaukee.

In a general economic sense, Hetty Taylor could not have been launched at a worse time. Lake shipping, stunted by the depression that began with the Panic of 1873, seemed grim business throughout much of the ship's career. Low shipping rates and high levels of competition led to many bankruptcies and contributed to accidents. Captain Miller, however, seems to have been a careful and competent sailor. Records reveal only one confirmed incident taking place while the schooner was under his command. On October 29,1878, Hetty Taylor, upbound toward Milwaukee with a load of cedar posts, wood, and machinery loaded at the northern tip of the Door Peninsula, collided with the 104-ton scow-schooner Maria.

The collision occurred approximately ten miles east of Manitowoc at about 11:15 pm, a dark night made darker by rain and patches of fog. Capt. Miller filed the following statement detailing the accident:

I was beating against the wind. Scow Maria was bound north running before the wind. I had the right of way. Showed a torch light at two different to warn him off but it was no avail. She struck the Hetty Taylor on the port bow between the forerigging and the cut heads. She began to leak and we went to Manitowoc, Wis and made temporary repairs and then proceeded to Milwaukee. (Record of Wreck Reports, Milwaukee, 20 May 1879).

This came from the second wreck report filed by Miller regarding this incident. The first, filed on November 20, 1878. states that the ship was carrying three passengers in addition to a crew of five. The estimated damage was $500.00. In the second statement, filed in May 1879, estimated damage at $150.00, and did not report having passengers on the vessel. Captain Carl Melgard of the Maria did not file his wreck report until March 6, 1879. Melgard stated that he saw none of the lights shown by Hetty Taylor and reported no measures to avoid the collision. Maria suffered no damage in the incident. The conflicting wreck reports and the late date of two of the statements suggest that a lawsuit may have resulted. Hetty Taylor lost her jibboom and had her bowsprit split in the incident. (Record of Wreck Reports, Milwaukee 6 March 1879)

This was apparently a difficult time for Capt. Miller and the little schooner. On December 5, 1878, Charles Spinney, recently the Mate on the Taylor, filed a claim against the vessel in admiralty court. The case provided a glimpse in to the history, economics, and culture of Lake Michigan schooner life during the Gilded Age. Spinney, his sworn statement indicated, had been approach by Capt. Miller to make a late season voyage to Sister Bay, an isolated Green Bay lumber town on Wisconsin's Door Peninsula. He was to receive $16 plus an additional sum of 25 cents for each day of an anticipated 7 day trip. While laying at Diamond Pier in Sister Bay, the two men had a series confrontations over Spinney's duties. According to Capt. Miller, when he asked Spinney to lend a hand loading cordwood—the vessels primary cargo—the mate responded "that he would see me in hell before he would do it." Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8-86)

Wisconsin Word Processing Format (Approved 1/92)

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet "Hetty Taylor" Shipwreck Section 8 Page 5 Sheboygan County, Wisconsin

Captain Miller apparently gave up command after the 1878 season. But that has not yet been confirmed. On April 7,1880, Henry Taylor sold his interest in the schooner to Peter Claasen of Milwaukee. This may have been the same Claasen who briefly commanded the schooner in 1875. Fred Benfield retained his 1/4 share in the vessel. The master listed on Milwaukee Permanent Enrolment 96 was Charles S. McCausland. (Milwaukee Permanent Enrolment 96 issued 7 April 1880).

Capt. McCausland had more than his share of problems commanding the Hetty Taylor. On a July trip to , the schooner, running in a moderate breeze encountered very high seas and lost a foretopmast and a square sail. (Milwaukee Record of Wreck reports 27 July 1880)

This accident points to two significant factors that may have contributed to the vessel's later loss. First, the schooner was operating well outside of her traditional trade routes; second, it carried only a four-person crew. Through most of her career, Hetty Taylor had carried a crew of five. Shipping the smaller crew might have saved between two hundred to four hundred dollars in labor costs over the course of the season, a considerable sum during a period of tight operating margins. But during challenging moments an extra hand can constitute the difference between a close call and all out disaster. Examination of the Milwaukee customs house records indicates that four or five men were the standard compliment on schooners of the Hetty Taylor's size. Whether one shipped a larger or smaller crew probably reflected economic circumstances, personal command preferences, and perhaps, the specific rigging of individual vessels.

The vessel ran into more trouble just seven weeks later. On the night of August 26,1880, the schooner, on course to Escanaba from Milwaukee, encountered very heavy weather. About five miles offshore of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, a sudden heavy squall capsized her. The crew took to their small boat and pulled to Sheboygan where they notified the captain of the tug Messenger of the Hetty Taylor's plight. The tug steamed out to find the ship with hopes of righting her before she sank.

The Messenger came too late, the schooner had settled in about 110 feet of watert leaving only eight feet of her main topmast protruding from the water. The Hefty Tay/orhad been running light (without cargo) but apparently carried a ballast of stone, a factor they may have contributed to her sinking. The little schooner, worth $4,000, was insured for less than half of her value, just $1,800 (Milwaukee Record of Wreck Reports May 14, 1881, Milwaukee Sentinel 28 August 1880; Sheboygan Herald 27 August 1880).

Salvage efforts began almost immediately with the tug S.S. Coe of Milwaukee carrying the Chicago diver Peter Falcon speeding to the site. The canted position of the exposed portion of mast suggested that that the stern of the ship remained afloat. By removing the heavy anchors and chains, diver Falcon hoped that the schooner would rise to the surface (Sheboygan Herald 3 September 1880). These efforts nearly cost Falcon's life. While working in 106 feet of water the diver's air pump failed. He gave a "despairing tug at the rope" and was pulled unconscious from the lake (Sheboygan Herald 10 September 1880).

When the Coe failed, the tug J. J. Hagerman took up the challenge but also proved unsuccessful. The Hetty Taylor now, the new wreckers reported, was entirely underwater. Further salvage efforts, the newspaper predicted, were unlikely (Sheboygan Herald, 17 September 1880). The J.J. Hagerman, however, persisted in their work for several more days and only abandoned the job after they also had diver trouble (Sheboygan Herald, 25 September 1880). The next to take a crack at raising Hetty Tay/orwere the Door County-based tugs Leatham and Tilson. They managed only to pull out a mast and tear away her head-gear (Door County Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8-86)

Wisconsin Word Processing Format (Approved 1/92)

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet "Hetty Taylor" Shipwreck Section 8 Page 6 Sheboygan County, Wisconsin

Advocate, 7 October 1880). Enter the Detroit-based wrecking tug Winslow. The tug managed to make a hawser fast to Hetty Taylor1 s mainmast and claimed to have moved the vessel a little westward toward the shore. The mast, however, gave way. Evil weather forced the Winslow to return to Detroit (Sheboygan Herald 15 October 1880).

In late April 1881, the wrecking schooner Experiment, under the command of Capt. Beffel of Racine and contracted by Capt. John Archer of Milwaukee, attempted yet again to salvage Hetty Taylor. The wrecking party relocated the wreck through the efforts of local fisherman who had taken careful bearings the previous fall. The fishermen put the new salvors within ten feet of the wreck. This cast doubt upon the earlier claims by the captain of the Winslow of having moved the wreck. The notorious salvage diver Peter Crowley made two brief dives on the schooner but equipment problems limited his mobility. Returning the following week, diver Crowley had no success attaching lines and the Experiment abandoned the schooner as well (Sheboygan Herald 30 April 1881). This seems to have been the final effort to reclaim the Hetty Taylor.

Architectural Significance

As a small, two-masted schooner, the Hetty Taylor embodies construction techniques of a small and often undocumented coastal trading vessel. At a time when most small coastal schooners were inexpensively built, builder Ethel C. Penney Grafted a fine vessel complete with figurehead and decorative brass ornaments. Remarkably well-intact, the Hetty Taylor provides a classroom for historians, archaeologists, and divers to study the fine craftsmanship that sets the Hetty Taylor apart from the often crudely-built craft for the coasting trade. The Hetty Taylor's forward half remains almost entirely intact, as well as a large portion of the portside hull. Divers can examine the construction techniques of the windlass, bow (complete with bobstays and bowsprit), and hatch combings.

Registration Requirements

As a rare example of a small coasting schooner, the Hetty Taylor meets the registration requirements for Criteria C and D, as established in the multiple property listing Great Lakes Shipwrecks of Wisconsin. Though partially broken at the stern, the Hetty Taylor still possesses excellent architecturaJ integrity throughout the forward sections of her hull, as well as the rare example of a schooner's cabin. After sections, although broken, still lie well-preserved under the shifting sands of the Lake Michigan floor. Hetty Taylor, one of a few small coasting schooners remaining in the archaeological record, embodies some of the finest wooden construction in small, often inexpensive, vessels intended for local trade and is eligible at the state level under Criterion C. The Hetty Taylor competed successfully in an extremely competitive Lake shipping market during some of the worst economic times of the nineteenth century. The techniques employed in her construction and the economic rationale behind her design and operation are not fully understood today. Archaeological data from the Hetty Taylor has the potential to yield vast amounts of information on this small and often undocumented local maritime trade. The Hetty Taylor \s therefore eligible at the state level under Criterion D, as her surviving remains have the potential to provide archaeological insights into the final phase of small coastal vessels on the Great Lakes. Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8-86)

Wisconsin Word Processing Format (Approved 1/92)

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet "Hetty Taylor" Shipwreck Section 9 Page 1 Sheboygan County, Wisconsin

Anderson, Harry H. "Norwegian Shipbuilding in Early Milwaukee" Milwaukee History Volume 1: 1978: 81-104.

Cooper, David J. and Paul P. Kriesa 1992 Great Lakes Shipwrecks of Wisconsin. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation From. On file, Division of Historic Preservation, Wisconsin Historical Society.

Door County Advocate 7 October 1880

Milwaukee City Directory 1875-76 (Murphy & Co., Milwaukee)

Milwaukee Permanent Enrollment no. 4, issued 16 July 1874

Milwaukee Permanent Enrollment no. 96 issued 7 April 1880

Milwaukee Permanent Enrollment no. 4, issued 16 July 1874)

Milwaukee Sentinel 28 August 1880

Milwaukee Sentinel 8 June 1874

Milwaukee Record of Wreck Reports, 6 March 1879

Milwaukee Record of Wreck Reports, 20 May 1879

Milwaukee Record of Wreck Reports, May 14, 1881

Milwaukee Record of Wreck Reports, 6 August 1880

Milwaukee Record of Wreck Reports, 20 November 1878

Sheboygan Herald, 10 September 1880

Sheboygan Herald, 15 October 1880

Sheboygan Herald, 17 September 1880

Sheboygan Herald, 27 August 1880

Sheboygan Herald, 30 April 1881

United States Government Customs Service Record Group 36 Record of arrivals at the Port of Milwaukee Record of vessel clearances at the port of Milwaukee Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8-86)

Wisconsin Word Processing Format (Approved 1/92)

United States Department of the Interior National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet "Hetty Taylor" Shipwreck Section 10 Page 1 Sheboygan County, Wisconsin

BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION The area included in the site is a circle with a 250 foot diameter centered on the UTM grid coordinates: 0447219 Easting, 4836707 Northing, Zone 16.

BOUNDARY JUSTIFICATION The boundary was drawn to encompass the extent of the shipwreck and associated debris field. Hetty Taylor Sheboygan County, Wisconsin